


Of Many Turns

by Square_Orange



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Drabble, Friendship, No Plot/Plotless, Odyssey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2014-03-06
Packaged: 2018-01-14 18:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1277350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Square_Orange/pseuds/Square_Orange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John rereads Homer's Odyssey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Many Turns

"Sing to me Muse of that resourceful man who was driven to wander far and wide after he had sacked the holy citadel of Troy." John read the first line aloud with a hint of fond remembrance. He flicked back to the cover and ran a finger across a vein-like crease that bent the cover back.

"Polytropos is translated to "many turns", actually. E.V. Rieu. Butchering literature." Sherlock wiggled his nose, not moving his gaze from a mold-ridden petri dish.

John shook his head lightly and read over the line again in his head. Resourceful-> polytropos-> many turns-> multifaceted-> multi talented. Was this about a Greek hero or Sherlock Holmes? A quiet giggle escaped the doctor's mouth at the thought of Sherlock at the mercy of a sex-starved goddess, crying for days on end on the shores of a paradise island. Probably of boredom.

"What is it?" The detective was peering over the shorter man's shoulder before John even registered that he had been staring at the same word for almost a whole minute.  
John shrugged. "Homer made it sound like you, not Odysseus, is all."

Sherlock flapped his hand at the book and put on his most indignant face. "Don't be ridiculous. My intellect is far superior in every way, and I wouldn't have been so easy to rope into going to Troy in the first place. A _farmer_. Painfully obvious."

John sighed and traced the binding absent-mindedly. "I can see you pissing off a blind one-eyed giant, though." He noticed the detective pausing momentarily.  
"If instead of Polyphemus, his name was Anderson, then I take your point."

John smirked in triumph, and placed the book down on the armrest of his chair. He stood up and moved to watch Sherlock work, praying he wouldn't catch him contaminating the leftover curry.

"Did you study classics in university along with chemistry?"

Sherlock glanced up at him, assessing. "No. School. Broadened my knowledge in my spare time." John crossed his arms, a ghost of a smile playing across his lips.

"So what did you study at uni?"

"Chemistry, as you said, anatomy, French." He paused, considering. "Did night classes in Chinese, English literature, and law. Internet courses in ancient Greek, mathematics, zoology and German. Might have done jam-making at some stage; pretty sure I deleted all of that."

John grinned smugly. "Absolutely nothing like polytropos Odysseus, then."

Sherlock scowled at him, and spat in the petri dish. Just to see what would happen, obviously.


End file.
